​The Dallas Morning News staff gathered for a group photo in front of the famous “Rock of Truth” in April 2017 to mark the 175th anniversary of parent company A.H. Belo, named for the founder of The Dallas Morning News. (Photo by Evans Caglage)

But a news organization need not move to innovate its space. For many, it makes sense to stay put and brighten the space, but also rearrange furniture and reorganize teams to reflect new ways of working. For the staff of Treasure​ ​Coast​ ​News, the building and location near downtown Stuart, Florida, were fine. They chose to refresh their newsroom design as they shifted to digital-first publishing.

Each of the media organizations interviewed for this study had its own, right-sized approach to renovating its newsroom — from small, DIY efforts that started with a can of fresh paint to elaborate architectural solutions that re-envisioned the newsroom from the ground up. Although the solutions varied in scope, several themes emerged as newsroom leaders detailed their shared quest to reboot physical space for digital practice.

The Washington Post’s new home at 1 Franklin Square is only three blocks from its previous location. A key factor in choosing this location was that it’s within walking distance of the White House. The two-floor newsroom spans 400 feet on the top two floors between the east and west towers. (Photo by Matt McClain for The Washington Post)

A news organization as large as The Washington Post can’t fit its entire editorial staff on one floor. To make it easier for staff to move between the two floors of the newsroom, architects incorporated stairs into the central design. (Photo by Garrett Rowland)

In contrast to the Post, ​Quartz​ ​was a startup within an older company, Atlantic Media. It had​ ​rapidly​ ​outgrown​ ​its​ ​open-floor newsroom​ ​and​ ​was​ ​ready​ ​to​ ​move​ ​to​ ​its​ ​third​ ​location​ ​in New​ ​York​ ​City​ ​in​ ​as​ ​many​ ​years.​ ​Its​ ​staff​ ​had​ ​grown​ ​from 36 in 2014 to 151 and counting. While some employees are in remote locations as part of a global team, the space needed for the staff in New York had tripled.

The Washington Post’s old newsroom had little light and was a labyrinth of desks that inhibited collaboration. Washington​ ​Post​ ​Deputy​ Managing​ Editor​ ​Tracy​ ​Grant​ said the new space was designed to facilitate quick communication and collaboration during breaking news — and to “get rid of anything that got in the way of good journalism.” (Photo by Garrett Rowland)

Spanning two stories, the central editing hub is the nerve center of The Washington Post. Designed for visibility and accessibility, the bright, open space capitalizes on natural light and enables clear views into the hub from glass-walled walkways on the upper floor. (Photo by Garrett Rowland)

Boost morale

Some news outlets saw that their employees, weighed down by rounds of buyouts, needed a different type of light.

Michael​ ​Hughes, ​senior​ ​manager​ ​of media​ ​design​ ​and​ ​production​ ​for​ ​Calkins​ ​Digital​ ​Solutions, renovated the newsroom of the Bucks County Courier Times in stages. This photo, taken while the renovation was underway, shows the color scheme, which transitions from shades of blue to green. (Photo courtesy of Jacki Gray and Michael Hughes)

The inspirational wall decal and carefully selected wall colors help make the space welcoming and comfortable for staff. Wall decals like this are relatively inexpensive, easy to install and can be found on Etsy from a variety of vendors. (Photos courtesy of Jacki Gray and Michael Hughes)

Rachel​ ​Jones,​ ​news​ ​operations​ ​leader​ ​for​ ​The Virginian-Pilot​, aimed for a minimalist look when she oversaw its newsroom renovation. She chose a crisp, white color for portions of the new space. Something as simple as photographs throughout, mounted in black frames with gallery-style white matting, help create a unified look. (Photo by The’ N. pham)

The Virginian-Pilot’s old photo department was marked by dated furniture, extra file cabinets and remnants of the old color scheme. This area was converted to a storage room as the photo team moved closer to the rest of the staff. (Photo by The’ N. pham)

Staff at The Washington Post were guided through a year of decluttering. Posters were updated weekly to count down to moving day, suggesting “three things you can do this week” to prepare. “As the numbers got smaller, the urgency got higher,” said the Post’s Tracy Grant. People had to decide what to scan, shred, throw away or take home. (Photo by Garrett Rowland)

Architects suggest these sorts of communal spaces can bring together people who don’t work on the same team, creating new connections and sparking informal collaborations.

The Center for Investigative Reporting’s communal space, nicknamed “Cozy Town,” is used for social gatherings, food clubs, working lunches and breakout meetings. (Photo by Rachel de Leon)

Another simple feature encouraging collaboration is that the newsroom​ radiates around​ ​the​ ​hangout​ ​space​ and ​is​ ​organized into sections instead of long rows. Scharfenberg said this layout enables people to have quick conversations with other teams nearby.

That’s a benefit of the Post’s decision to organize its newsroom around the editing hub.

Moving editorial meetings out of a conference room and into the center of Treasure Coast News’ newsroom invites staff involvement when planning stories. “When we talk about a story in the middle of the newsroom, instead of a direct supervisor with a reporter, now you have a group of five to six people who can give feedback,” said Managing Editor Adam Neal. Staff have an open invitation to attend any meeting in this space. (Photo by Leah Voss)

Resident tinkerer, coding coach and bot builder Sam Williams spends time in the Workshop, a space that reflects Quartz’s unique culture. Williams’ side projects — such as a sensor that indicates when the office dishwasher is done or the coffee bot that alerts staff via Slack when a fresh cup of coffee is ready — help Quartz explore applications for new technologies. (Photo by Mark Craemer)

To balance between solo and collaborative workspaces, every organization in this survey adopted its own version of “huddle” spaces. In the Center for Investigative Reporting’s sprawling newsroom, they took the form of closet-sized rooms.

At the Post, dozens of huddle spaces, designed for two to four people, are scattered throughout the newsroom. They’re decorated with historic newspaper ​headlines.​

The Washington Post’s new space incorporates a number of small “huddle spaces” designed for impromptu collaboration. Less formal than a conference room, each huddle area has a unique aesthetic and creative furnishings to inspire innovative thinking. (Photo by Garrett Rowland)

Elements of the Post’s history were artfully incorporated into the new decor. In 1935, publisher Eugene​ ​Myers​ ​put forth seven guiding principles​ ​for​ ​the​ ​conduct​ ​of​ ​journalism​ at the Post. Now the first thing you see when you step off the elevator on the seventh floor is this assemblage of metal type, evocative of a bygone era. “We​ ​had​ ​a​ ​discussion​ ​about​ ​updating​ ​the​ ​language,​ ​but​ ​decided to​ ​keep​ ​it​ ​as​ ​originally​ ​uttered,”​ ​said​ ​the Post’s Tracy Grant. (Photo by Garrett Rowland)